GILROY
–– When the Gilroy High and San Benito High grapplers get
together, it is sure to be a chess game between two talented teams
and two fiery coaches who both hate to lose.
This year will be no exception in the Tri-County Athletic League
opening dual meet Wednesday night in Gilroy at 7 p.m. between two
of the best the Central Coast Section brings to the table.
By NATHAN MIXTER and SCOTT FORSTNER
Sports Writers
GILROY –– When the Gilroy High and San Benito High grapplers get together, it is sure to be a chess game between two talented teams and two fiery coaches who both hate to lose.
This year will be no exception in the Tri-County Athletic League opening dual meet Wednesday night in Gilroy at 7 p.m. between two of the best the Central Coast Section brings to the table.
“Regardless of how each team is doing during the year, it is always a big rivalry,” Baler head coach Matt Olejnik said. “And sometimes strange things happen.”
At least on paper, the Mustangs, the reigning section champions, look to be the favorite, but the Balers have the experienced grapplers to threaten for the upset, especially if they can keep the point spread low during losses.
“They’re returning 12 to 14 wrestlers from last year. They have a lot of experience. They looked good at the (Cupertino) tournament and some of their best wrestlers sat out and they still looked very solid,” said Mustang head coach Armando Gonzalez of Hollister. “This is going to be a very, very close match. It could go either way.”
On their way to a section title, the Mustangs mopped up a young Hollister unit by a 52-7 margin. But this season, the tale of the tape is a lot closer with experienced wrestlers on both sides of the mat.
“Last year, although we only won two matches and it was a blowout, most of the matches were fairly closely contested,” Olejnik said. “Last year, where they were solid, that was where our good wrestlers were. We match up better in the dual meet than we did last year.”
Both teams competed in the Gary Bianchini Tournament held at Cupertino High over the weekend. The Mustangs, who have nine Top-10 CCS-ranked grapplers, finished second in the tournament behind Sac-Joaquin Section powerhouse Turlock.
“They are a favorite to win the dual meet and to win the section,” said Olejnik of Gilroy. “They’re loaded from top to bottom. We will have to try to upset a couple down low and win the matches where we are strong. A couple toss-up matches will be the difference.”
San Benito finished tenth at Cupertino. But that stat may be a little deceiving. The Balers were coming off of a first-place finish in the Artichoke Invitational on Friday and didn’t have everyone available, or some of those who competed weren’t at full strength.
That won’t be the case Wednesday night.
Olejnik is 7-3 against the Mustangs. He lost during his first year and also lost a match when Adam Baxter dislocated his arm and wasn’t able to finish. Gonzalez is 2-2, including a commanding victory last year.
The two cagey coaches are sure to make things interesting with changes in their lineups during the night, depending on what weight the match starts at.
“There have been a lot of times during my ten years of coaching that they were supposed to beat us, and we came away with an upset victory,” Olejnik said. “The one who wins this match will go on to win the league tournament. That is pretty much the way it has gone the last ten years.”
The Mustangs are strongest in the lower weight brackets, while the Balers’ power comes in the upper weight classes, leaving the middle weights as the determining factor in a too-close-to-call match.
“Depending on what moves Hollister makes, they could catch us in a vulnerable position so the key is in the middle weights,” Gonzalez said. “It’s the middle weights that will decide the dual meet.”
The anticipated swing matches are in the 152-pound weight class where seniors Miguel Maldonado of Gilroy and Nick Carpenter of Hollister will square off and in the 145-pound division where Gilroy’s Callen Romesberg and Hollister’s Alex Diaz will bump heads.
The 135-pound weight class pits Mustang senior Chad Haygood against Baler senior Anthony Sunseri in another pivotal matchup.
“It’s going to be a very, very interesting match,” Gonzalez said. “We’ll just have to wait and see.”
The Mustangs have maneuverability in the lower weights with freshmen Nicolo Naranjo and Rudy Maldonado as well as senior Johnny Gurich and sophomores Adin Duenas and Armando Gonzalez. Senior Mark Zabala anchors the top of Gilroy’s lineup, which could be shifted with a tinker in the lighter weights.
The Balers have senior Octavio Lucatero highlighting its top-heavy lineup that includes seniors Alejo Velasquez, Tito Flores and Matt De La Rosa as well as sophomore Ryan Dunn.
Hollister’s lighter weights are solid, but are also up against two defending section champions, one section runner-up and a first-year varsity wrestler who finished his three-time county champion junior high career with a 78-0 record.
“We just stay focused. We have to always keep our eye on the bigger picture. We want to win the dual meet against Hollister, but we could lose. Our goal is to win CCS,” Gonzalez said. “I’d rather be CCS champions and qualify as many wrestlers as I can for the state tournament.”
